


you and me and all other people

by punkenigma



Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson
Genre: Alana is on both the yearbook and prom planning committee, Alana is pining, Alana just wanted to wear a suit but was scared to tell her mom, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, And so do I, Cause Fuck You That's Why, Connor is done with all of them, F/F, Fluff, Galaxy Gals, Getting Together, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Jared is angsty in the beginning, Kleinsen, Light Angst, M/M, Making Out, No Proof Reading we die like Men, Probably ooc, Prom, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Underage Drinking, Zoe is pining, because I love my overachiever daughter, connor needs a break, evan is pining, for teenage dirtbag, have fun?, i love them though don't think i don't, its midnight cut me some slack, its miscommunication hell for a bit, jared is pining, jared kleinman is a three dimensional character, my senior prom is this weekend and I have a lot of feelings, sorta?, that changed though, this is my first attempt at writing galaxy gals, this was supposed to be short, uhhh this was originally supposed to be a song fic, zolana
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-03
Updated: 2018-05-03
Packaged: 2019-05-01 12:50:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14520972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/punkenigma/pseuds/punkenigma
Summary: Its prom night, Jared is spiking his punch, and Evan finally makes a move (well... sorta)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My senior prom is this weekend and I'm an angsty little shit about it so this is me imagining the lying tree gang at prom  
> Also the grinding circle may not apply to every school's prom but fuck dances at my school are wild - freshman year some seniors crowd surfed  
> btw the title is from the song 'You and Me' by Lifehouse  
> Enjoy the fluff homies

Initially, Jared was actually excited about prom. People look and feel good, there’s music— albeit early childhood throwback music — and he had never been one to shy away from a party. Now, though, standing against the wall and seeming much more like a chaperone than an actual attendee, he was regretting that enthusiasm.

_ You can’t miss prom! It’s your senior year! It’s tradition!  _

The conversation with Evan ran through his head over and over again. The taller boy had dismissed him, uttering something about not wanting to be in a crowd. Jared had nudged him, telling him how much it would mean to their moms that they went. It took a while, but Evan finally gave in. He had considered it a victory at the time. 

He looked into the crowd, a sea of grinding and questionably sober teenagers. It didn’t take long for him to find him. Evan Hansen, dressed to the nines. Evan Hansen, dancing in a  _ crowd _ . Evan Hansen, grinning and having the time of his life while Jared moped in a corner and drank his punch (that was much less punch now and much more stolen alcohol). It was bitter and made his head feel hot, but the warm sensation was a nice distraction from the clenching his heart did every time he looked at his friend.  _ Friend. _ That word that had been thrown around recently. Jared had resigned himself a long time ago to the fact that  _ friend _ will be the only descriptor he ever got to use for Evan. Though, when the taller boy had come out to him as bi the previous month, Jared would be damned if he admitted that it had become more difficult than ever to squash the last bit of hope that he had. 

Alana had checked up on him earlier, inviting him to help her scope out some good pictures for the yearbook. He had politely declined, claiming a lack of artistic talent. His gaze when he said that had once again drifted to Evan and she followed before giving him a small smile and squeezing his shoulder. He knew she meant well but  _ fuck _ he hated being pitied. How much more cliché could he get? He was a wallflower at his senior prom and hopelessly in love with his best friend, who wouldn’t give him the time of day. He took another swig of the punch, wrinkling his nose at the taste.

Eventually, a slow song came on. Jared watched as the single and awkward dispersed, losing sight of Evan in the crowd. Assuming he was dancing with some girl— or  _ guy _ , his brain interrupted — Jared went back to nursing his drink. He was torn out of his thoughts when he felt someone approach. Evan was beaming at him as he slumped against the wall, chest heaving. Jared looked him up and down, probably not as subtle as he hoped. Evan was in a navy tux with black lapels. His bow tie was sleek and black and his hair was styled slightly more than usual, though the dancing had caused a few curls to stick up haphazardly. Jared cleared his throat, diverting his attention back to his drink.

“You enjoying yourself?” He asked. Evan smiled and nodded. Jared nodded curtly, not making eye contact. Swallowing hard, he applied his regular mask of chauvinism and joked,

“Found anyone to have a post-dance car quickie with yet?”

Evan yelped, face turning red. He started sputtering and Jared rolled his eyes, waving him off. Evan was looking at his shoes, hands wringing the bottom of his jacket. After a few moments of awkward silence, Evan finally spoke.

“I like your suit, by the way. I don’t think I said that before. Red is, um, it’s a good color on you.”

Jared’s gaze widened slightly as he looked down at his own tux - a traditional black with red button down and a faux leather black tie he had gotten some time in freshman year (it had never seen the light of day until now) - before composing himself. He cleared his throat.

“Oh, uh, thanks.”

The other boy nodded. The silence returned briefly. Jared’s inner monologue yelled expletives. 

_ God why don’t you just talk to him! _

“Are you - um - having a good time?” Evan asked, not making eye contact. Jared shrugged. Gesturing out into the crowd, he grumbled,

“This isn’t really my thing.”  
Evan furrowed his brows and turned his body toward his friend. He was lying, of course, and Evan knew that. Crossing his arms, he replied,

“Since when is dancing not your thing?”

Jared shrugged again, eyes burning a hole into his drink. He watched the liquid swirl in the cup. Evan sighed and snatched it from his hand. Jared went to refute, but the taller boy gave him a look and said,

“My throat’s dry. Besides, it’s not like we haven’t shared drinks before.”

He took a swig and coughed, unprepared for the burning sensation as it hit his throat. He looked at Jared wildly.

“Are you seriously getting drunk at a  _ school event _ ?” He asked, exasperated. Jared took back the cup.

“ _ Yes _ and if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to get back to it.” 

He huffed and pushed past his friend to head toward the bathroom. When he reached the end of the hall, he could no longer ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach and he realized that he had been hoping Evan would come after him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jared hides in a bathroom at a party

Drink long finished, Jared had curled on top of the toilet seat and brought his knees to his chest. He figured it was better that people didn’t notice the lameass hiding in a bathroom  _ during prom _ . Scrolling absentmindedly on his phone, he missed the faint sound of the bathroom door opening. Instagram was flooded with pictures of couples kissing and pinning boutonnieres to each other. He tried to imagine what it would be like if he had gotten the nerve to ask Evan  _ officially _ instead of copping out with an offhand comment about how it would mean a lot to their moms if they went together. Would they have gotten each other boutonnieres? Cute pictures? Would he finally be able to convince the assholes and himself that he had a chance?

Footsteps paced back and forth outside of the stall and Jared could hear the source huffing out short breaths. The pacing stopped and suddenly his phone began to ring. On the screen was a profile view of Evan, tongue out and brows knitted together in concentration. Jared had snuck that picture while they were working together on a Spanish project junior year. He sucked in a breath and answered, albeit defensively.

“What?”

There was a pause. He could hear Evan’s breathing.

“Dude?”

“Jared?” 

Jared’s voice faltered. Evan’s response didn’t come from the phone.

“E-Ev?”

The call ended and there was a knock on the stall door.

“Jared what are you doing in there?”

Composing himself, he rolled his eyes.

“Shitting, care to join?”

“Gross. Can I talk to you? Out here?”

“Yeah just give me a sec.” 

He stood and put his phone in his pocket. He hesitated as his hand hovered over the lock. With a final shake of his head, he opened the door. Evan was against the wall of the bathroom, wringing his hands. Jared cleared his throat. They made eye contact briefly before Evan’s flitted away to something behind him. 

“Is everything okay?” Jared asked. The taller boy nodded but stayed silent. Jared stepped closer, debating on whether or not to reach out. He settled for letting his hand briefly dust over Evan’s arm before drawing back and continuing.

“Seriously dude, aren’t you supposed to be out there enjoying yourself?”

Evan huffed.

“I can’t.”

“Can’t?” Jared repeated, voice thick with confusion. Evan shook his head. Jared snorted and crossed his arms. 

“Really? Cause for the past two hours you’ve been having the time of your life. Better get back out there before you disappoint your crowd.”

He was cynical and irrevocably jealous and subtlety was never his strong suit. Evan’s face started heating up, his neck and ears going red.

“I  _ can’t _ , Jared.  _ I can’t _ .”

“ _ Why not? _ ”

“Because you’re in here, Jared!” Evan shouted, exasperated. Jared halted, stepping back. His arms fell to his sides. Weakly, he replied,

“What?”

Evan groaned and let his hands tug at his hair. He began to pace again and Jared stepped back, watching him from afar. He was almost scared to interject. Continuing to grumble, Evan confessed,

“You know I didn’t come to this dance on my own accord, Jared. I came for you.”

“What does that even mean? You’ve been ignoring me all night.”

“No I haven’t!  _ You’ve  _ been ignoring  _ me _ ! You’ve been talking about the ‘sanctity of prom’ for months, Jare, and when you said you wanted to go together I thought- well I don’t know what I thought but it definitely didn’t involve you hiding from me all night.”

A little more defensive now, Jared replied,

“If you were so concerned about my enjoyment then why have you been dancing without me?”

“Because I didn’t want to pressure you! And-and,   _ fuck _ , I thought that maybe you’d come out when you were ready and that if I asked you you’d think I was clingy or something and that would only make you hate me more and-”

“Who said I hated you?” Jared interjected. Evan froze and turned to face him at last. He began fiddling with his shirt again. Jared sighed and stepped closer.

“I-I just assumed, I mean, you’re always saying that we aren’t - well, until recently - friends and it would just make sense b-because you’re  _ you  _ and your jokes are always, I mean… I don’t know, forget I said anything I’m just being dramatic, I’ll just - you can - I’ll leave you along.”

Evan turned to leave, hands noticeably shakier as he reached for the door. Jared’s mind was in overdrive. He launched forward, grabbing Evan’s sleeve.

“Ev, wait!”

The taller boy stopped, trembling. As he turned back around, Jared loosened his grip. Evan wouldn’t meet his eyes. Voice barely above a whisper, Jared said,

“Shit, Ev, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to think I hated you. I-I, fuck I’m bad at this.”

Evan let out a breathy laugh, causing Jared to smile. They locked eyes, a rare occurrence, but remained silent. Jared bit his lip as he felt his own hands begin to shake and -  _ shit  _ he could’ve sworn Evan’s eyes just flickered to his mouth. Blame it on what you will: hormones, alcohol, years of repressed feelings, but Jared felt his body begin to lean closer and close the gap. Evan’s breath hitched. Inches from his lips, Jared paused.

“Can I?”

“ _ Please. _ ” Evan breathed. Not a moment later and the gap was closed completely. Evan’s lips were soft, softer than Jared had expected, and so warm. Jared’s were soft as well and even though the taste of alcohol still coated his lips, Evan didn’t mind. The two pressed into each other and Jared used his grip on Evan’s waist to slowly push him against the tiled walls. His glasses pressed awkwardly into his cheeks but he didn’t mind. He stabilized himself with his free hand, pushing it against the wall near Evan’s head. Evan had one hand clutching Jared’s tux jacket, pulling him close, and the other tangling in his hair. Jared swiped his tongue across Evan’s bottom lip before deepening the kiss.

Objectively, the kiss was terrible. It was inexperienced and sloppy and far too eager but to the two teens, it was perfect. They only broke apart to breathe, but immediately dove back into the kiss. Evan tugged Jared as close as possible, inadvertently pulling his hair in the process. Jared gasped into the kiss before letting out a low gumble. Evan felt warmth flood his face and he tugged again. Jared responded again, desperately nipping at Evan’s bottom lip. His hands slid from Evan’s waist to his ass, pulling him close with an equal amount of force. Evan yelped slightly, caught off guard. Jared smirked into the kiss before releasing him and moving to trail kisses along his jaw. 

“ _ Jared _ ,” Evan gasped. The noise sent a rejuvenated sense of fervor into him. Kissing down Evan’s neck, Jared’s lips brushed a spot next to the other’s adam’s apple that caused him to shudder. He sucked on the spot and nipped at it slightly. Evan moaned again. Jared became determined to etch that sound into his memory and repeated the process on any other patch of skin he could find. They could no longer tell where one of them ended and the other began, both riding the same high, bottled for too long. Time was a concept they could no longer grasp. Evan began fumbling with the buttons on Jared’s shirt. He got one undone. Then two. Then three. Then-

“ _ It’s about fucking time.” _

The boys jumped apart at Flash-like speeds. Leaning against the doorframe was Connor, arms crossed and brow raised. Evan made a squeaking noise and Jared couldn’t tell if it was a word or a noise of embarrassment. Connor rolled his eyes and pushed off of the wall. Walking to a stall, he turned back to them and said,

“So are you two gonna go back to dry humping each other or let me piss in peace?”

Evan opened his mouth to respond but closed it quickly upon realizing he wouldn’t be able to form a coherent response. Jared rolled his eyes, buttoning his shirt.

“Fuck you, Murphy,” he called out. Evan slapped his arm lightly.

“That’s Evan’s job now, asshole!” Connor responded. Evan made another sputtering and Jared burst into laughter. Evan watched him fondly, the red in his cheeks lessening into a light pink. Jared looked at him, grinning. Evan stifled a laugh, reaching a hand up to fix Jared’s hair. The other boy blushed, still not accustomed to the contact. He looked down, fixing his glasses. After making sure they looked presentable, Evan interlaced a tentative hand with Jared. His silence begged consent. Jared squeezed his hand and nodded toward the door.

“Shall we?”

Evan nodded, a small smile playing at his lips. Jared led them out and back down the hall. They stopped outside of the dance hall, the thumping of music audible through the doors. Jared squeezed Evan’s hand and looked up at him (curse Evan’s ever continuing growth-spurt).

“You ready?” he whispered. Evan bent down, placing a gentle kiss on the corner of Jared’s mouth. He smiled.

“Absolutely.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> things work out, they always do

Alana circled the dance floor for what felt like the fiftieth time. She yawned, adjusting her glasses so she could wipe her eyes. Grinding teenagers filled the center of the floor while the outskirts were littered with the more awkward, less energetic attendees. Somewhere not quite in the center, she spotted Zoe dancing with some of her band friends. Her eyes were closed and she was beaming, hands floating in the air. She didn’t have a care in the world. Alana wished she could say the same.

She tugged at her dress, a yellow tea length dress her mom had insisted she buy because ‘ _ yellow looks so good on you’ _ and  _ ‘its modest _ ’. Alana didn’t have the heart to tell her that she would much rather wear a suit. 

She brought her camera up, zooming in to get a clear view of Zoe. Snapping a couple pictures, she failed to notice the change in song. The tempo slowed and people paired off. Through the lense, she watched a boy - he looked familiar, maybe they had a class together? - ask Zoe to dance. The other girl smiled but shook her head, giving some small explanation that Alana couldn’t decipher. The boy nodded and bowed out of her way, leaving Alana’s line of sight. Zoe looked around, eyes searching the crowd. Suddenly, she looked directly at the camera and smiled. Alana jumped, taking the camera away.  _ Shit _ . 

Zoe made her way through the crowd and to Alana, who was trying to look everywhere but in her direction.

“Hey Lan,” Zoe called, reaching the other girl. Finally, Alana looked at her. She smiled.

“Oh, hey Zoe. Are you having fun? The planning committee worked really hard this year, these decorations took hours to make. I love your dress by the way, you look really pretty. How are you liking the music? I know music is your thing so-”

Zoe laughed, causing Alana to stop and blush furiously. She began fiddling with the camera strap. Zoe reached out, touching Alana’s arm, hoping to calm her down some.

“It’s been a lot of fun, the music is great. Don’t worry, Lan. And you look - well - you look amazing. Not that that’s unusual.”

Zoe was blushing now, dipping her head to hide it. Alana bit her lip before giving her a small smile.

“Oh,”

Zoe looked up, confused. Hesitantly, Alana reached out a hand and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. Her hand stayed there momentarily, neither quite sure what to do. The nervous bubbling in her stomach caught up to her rather quickly, though, and her hand returned to the camera strap much too soon. It was quiet.

_ If only I could… _

Zoe rocked on her heels, throat tight.

_ I just need to… _

Alana looked at her feet.

_ Would she say… _

Taking a gulp of air, Zoe settled her mind.

_ There’s no harm… _

She reached a hand out and placed it on top of Alana’s.

“Do you wanna get out of here?”

Alana widened her eyes.

“Ah, um, w-what?”

Zoe laughed again, more confident than before. She squeezed the other girl’s hand.

“The crowd is dying down and I know you’ve gotten at  _ least _ , like, a hundred photos already. C’mon, we can go get milkshakes or something. Denny’s is open still.”

Alana was sure she was bright red, she just hoped that the lighting made it hard for Zoe could tell (she could tell and thought it was adorable) and after letting her mind reel, she nodded. Zoe beamed at her and Alana noticed a pink gradient paint her cheeks. Pulling out her phone, Zoe shot her brother a text that she didn’t need a ride home and took Alana’s hand again, properly. They weaved their way through the crowd, laughing amongst themselves because  _ is this real? _ They had nearly made it to the front entrance when Zoe stopped and gasped lightly. Alana’s brows knitted together as she turned to look in the same direction.

Jared and Evan were a couple feet from them, pressed close together and swaying in slow circles. They were nowhere in beat with the song but it didn’t matter, they were too wrapped up in their own world to care. The girls watched as Evan laughed at something Jared said, shaking his head. He then brought a gentle hand down to rest on his cheek. Jared leaned into it, eyes closed. It was a look of pure bliss. Slowly, Evan leaned down and pressed his lips to Jared. They were unaware of the song changing.

Alana took a picture and smiled. It was the perfect shot. There stood the boys, holding each other close, while bodies were blurred around them. Their shared kiss was the calm in the storm, the central point of their entire world. She would frame that picture for them eventually, leaving it as a secret only they shared. 

She then looked at Zoe, whose eyes were glossy and her hand was covering the smile that played at her lips. Alana took her free hand again and squeezed it. Zoe looked to her, smiling brighter, becoming the central point of  _ her _ entire world.

_ Yeah,  _ she thought,  _ this secret is mine _ .


End file.
